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7 February 2012 by Guest

SKA recommendation due

If you want to email this page to more than one person, just put a semicolon “;” between the email addresses. Click here to Book Accommodation in Cradock, Graaf Reinett, Hofmeyer or surrounds. Article source: http://www.iol.co.za/dailynews/news/ska-recommendation-due-1.1228952

If you want to email this page to more than one person, just put a semicolon “;” between the email addresses.

Category: NewsTag: cradock, graaff reinet, hofmeyer, karoo, news
7 February 2012 by Guest

Western Cape still feeling the heat

2012-02-06 10:40 Leighton Koopman, Die Burger Cape Town – Another boiling hot day has been forecast for large parts of the Western Cape on Monday. Temperatures of above 40ºC are expected in the Boland, West Coast and Little Karoo. Residents of the Cape Town metropole can expect a maximum temperature of at least 34ºC. The …

2012-02-06 10:40




line

Leighton Koopman, Die Burger

Cape Town – Another boiling hot day has been forecast for large parts of the Western Cape on Monday.

Temperatures of above 40ºC are expected in the Boland, West Coast and Little Karoo. Residents of the Cape Town metropole can expect a maximum temperature of at least 34ºC.

The South African Weather Service on Sunday issued a heatwave warning, forecasting that these conditions will last until Tuesday.

According to weather forecaster Henning Grobler, there is a slight chance of rain on Tuesday afternoon.

“If it does rain, it will not be a lot. It will, however, be overcast,â€? he said.

Temperatures of about 20ºC are forecast for the whole province on Wednesday.

Western Cape residents sweltered on Sunday. The mercury in the Mother City rose to 37ºC, while people in the Boland towns of Worcester, Paarl, Wellington and Ceres had to endure temperatures of over 40ºC.

On the West Coast there was also no sign of cooler weather. Residents of Clanwilliam, Redelinghuys and Vredendal were sweating it out on Sunday. Temperatures here will be as high on Monday.

Those on the south coast at George and Mossel Bay can expect temperatures of 32ºC and 34ºC.

– Are you feeling the heat? How are you coping? Send us your stories and photos.

Category: NewsTag: cradock, graaff reinet, hofmeyer, karoo, news
7 February 2012 by Guest

SKA bid moves to new level

www.ska.ac.za The KAT-7 precursor dished in the Karoo offer a glimpse of what a small portion of the site will look like if the SKA telescope bid is won by SA. If South Africa wins SKA, hundreds of dishes will be arranged in this location by 2024. Staff Writer THE SKA, the world’s largest radio …

www.ska.ac.za

The KAT-7 precursor dished in the Karoo offer a glimpse of what a small portion of the site will look like if the SKA telescope bid is won by SA. If South Africa wins SKA, hundreds of dishes will be arranged in this location by 2024.

Staff Writer

THE SKA, the world’s largest radio telescope, will be able to answer probing questions that have plagued scientists for centuries, and SA is in a tight battle with Australia to become the site for the telescope.

Today, a technical evaluation of both sites is to be released to the SKA Siting Group, which reports to the SKA Founding Board. The Siting Group will weigh the process of the technical evaluation, making sure protocol was followed, and submit its assessment to the founding board.

Bernie Fanaroff, project director for SA’s SKA bid, and the SA SKA team will receive the report on February 15 at the earliest.

Regardless of where the site is located, its work will be revolutionary.

For scientists, the nature of dark energy will be among the main questions that SKA might be able to answer.

“One of the possible Nobel Prizes awarded from this telescope would be for discovering the nature of dark energy,” said Fanaroff. Other potential breakthroughs include the existence of extraterrestrial life and a challenge to Einstein’s theory of gravity.

This mega-telescope is a hot commodity, with South Africa and Australia fiercely assured of the legitimacy of their bids. The criteria that could determine the decision include:

l Radio Frequency Interference Levels: The site needs to be free from radio interference. A big draw for Australia is the remoteness of the site in the western Outback. The region, Murchison, has a large area of about 50 000km2 and a population of fewer than 150 people.

South Africa’s site in the Karoo is closer to human activity but backed by legislation that bars radio activity from the area.

According to a SKA South Africa fact sheet, Justin Jonas, associate director of Science and Engineering for SKA SA said: “A radio quiet environment does not necessarily imply a very remote location that is expensive to provide infrastructure to, and difficult to access and operate.”

l Physical Characteristics and Climate: South Africa’s physical site is located at an altitude of 1 000m, which Fanaroff said is ideal for observing the universe at high frequencies. “There is more water vapour closer to sea level, which makes viewing more difficult,” he said.

“Our site is also dry, with little cloud cover.”

While Australia has a stable climate, their team has repeatedly cited their larger baseline as an advantageous physical characteristic. The baseline is defined as the geographic distance across which a telescope’s connected antennae are distributed.

With New Zealand on board, Australia can situate antenna stations 5 500km away from its core site, a feature that may enable sharper images of the universe, according to an online article in the science magazine Cosmos. Sergei Gulyaev, astronomer at Auckland University of Technology in New Zealand, said: “For South Africa to reach the minimum SKA baseline requirements, they will have to go all the way to the Congo and many other countries have to be involved. Here you have just one country, plus New Zealand, ideally placed.”

l Cost and Infrastructure:

Simon Ratcliffe, a leading astronomer working on the SA SKA bid, told Cosmos: “Our proximity to Europe and similar time zones, coupled with value-for-money labour and good existing infrastructure, can greatly reduce the major costs of the SKA.”

The SA site is closer to existing roads and infrastructure than the isolated Australian site.

The Karoo site has connections to the national electricity grid, optical fibre backbone and road network.

“Our site has struck an ideal compromise between remoteness and proximity to infrastructure to keep costs low,” said Fanaroff.

The technical report may produce a coherent statement on which site comes out on top.

Category: NewsTag: cradock, graaff reinet, hofmeyer, karoo, news
7 February 2012 by Guest

Strong theatre set for Karoo stage

Afrikaans festivals have become the lifeblood of Afrikaans theatre. If you don’t catch productions there, you’re not going to have much joy, especially in Gauteng. The Cape seems to fare better on this score and hopefully more of the better productions will start travelling across the country and changing these dynamics. This year’s Klein Karoo …

Afrikaans festivals have become the lifeblood of Afrikaans theatre. If you don’t catch productions there, you’re not going to have much joy, especially in Gauteng. The Cape seems to fare better on this score and hopefully more of the better productions will start travelling across the country and changing these dynamics.

This year’s Klein Karoo National Arts Festival (KKNK, from March 31 to April 7 in Oudtshoorn) has a particularly strong theatrical component, starting with Nicola Hanekom completing her trilogy, (which began with Bethesda and Lot) with Babbel.

She has gathered a band of brothers, including musician/composer Braam du Toit and a cast starring Tinarie van Wyk, Brendon Daniels, Stian Bam, Neels van Jaarsveld and more, who have all worked with the exciting director before (see the story alongside).

Those who like strong and challenging theatre will rate their dramatic festival fare by the number of Marthinus Basson productions. This year he returns with the errant Malan Steyn, a playwright who absconded for a few years and is back with Bos, which tells the story of 10 teenagers under the guidance of a paramilitary instructor at a survival camp. How do they cope with peer pressure and pests, ghosts and hormones, and everything that could go wrong? Bam is the leader of the pack and with Basson blasting through this type of scenario, it should be explosive.

Die Vrou Vantevore is one of Basson’s translations of a sharply selected international play. In this instance he picked the German playwright Roland Schimmelpfennig, who explains that the play was written when thinking fearfully about what would happen if someone from your past turned up and recalled some unfortunate tale. A young woman knocks on a door and reminds the man of a promise of fidelity he made 24 years earlier.

This is vintage Basson territory with a cast boasting Brümilda van Rensburg, Stian Bam (obviously a Basson favourite), Erica Wessels, Wilhelm van der Walt and Greta Pietersen.

On a gentler note, Rachelle Greef, who wrote the solo-driven Die Naaimasjien starring Sandra Prinsloo, follows with Buitepos, directed by Fred Abrahams. She shifts the focus from an ageing woman to that of a man walking through a dry riverbed, with only his thoughts and the stones around him as company.

Playwright Chris Voster (of 7de Laan fame) also has a few fingers in KKNK pies. For the second year in a row, he assists comedian Marion Holm with her new show titled Holmakiesie. It is turning into what could grow into a great partnership.

Vorster also stages Buurtwag, which premiered at Aardklop, and while the name (Neighbourhood Watch) doesn’t point to hilarity, that’s what ensues. It’s light festival fare.

Playwright Charles J Fourie is another one who has found his way back to Afrikaans festivals with last year’s successful Agterplaas.

Based loosely on Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s Die Bitteren Tränen der Petra von Kant, he offers Die Soet Trane van Petrus Pansegrouw, a tongue-in-cheek comedy about the middle-aged Petrus, who is puzzled by the whole ageing-and-affairs thing – until he finds himself involved with an attractive young actress.

It’s fantastic to welcome Janice Honeyman back with some serious theatre. She’s directing a translated Sam Shepard play (the Pulitzer prize-winning Buried Child), Doodsnikke, starring Anna-Mart van der Merwe, Gys de Villiers, Oscar Petersen, Travis Snyders and Ivan Abrahams. It’s balanced on a knife edge between humour and horror and deals with family dysfunction.

On a lighter note, Hennie van Greunen has picked well with his latest translation, that of Educating Rita, cunningly titled Griet kry Geleerdheid, starring Lulu Botha and Chris van Niekerk, who aim to bring this warm and witty story to life. Like his Shirley Valentine transformation, this should be another one that grabs both heads and hearts.

There’s a return of Lizz Meiring and André Stoltz in Kopstukke but it’s almost a decade after they first performed this macabre Jean Goosen piece, which has you giggling at the horror of a couple who are confined to their beds because of a car accident.

The Pink Couch, who won many hearts last year with the wondrous Miskien, return with a physical theatre approach to Herman Charles Bosman’s Mafeking Road, directed by Tara Louise Notcutt, who has a remarkable ability to pick them and to create theatre that both informs and entertains. She and her team are a great acquisition for local festivals.

Playwright Saartjie Botha pays tribute to Afrikaans storyteller Abraham H de Vries with Smelt, directed by the promising Wolfie Britz, starring Gerben Kamper, and producer/ director Albert Maritz brings the much-lauded Mooi Maria, with award-winning performances from Anthea Thompson and Isadora Verwey, as well as PG du Plessis’s comedy classic ’n Seder Val in Waterkloof with another star cast.

Other winning productions that have played at Aardklop, for example, include Jaco Bouwer’s Rooiland. This searing piece about prison gangs, written by Tertius Kapp, showcases brilliant performances by Brendon Daniels, Charlton George, Leon Kruger and Wilhelm van der Walt.

There’s also a reworking of Op-en-top, which previously played in Grahamstown, directed by Andrew Buckland and created and performed by Richard Antrobus and Tristan Jacobs in typical Buckland style.

Lizz Meiring features with pianist Rocco de Villiers in Speel, taking a step back in time as Hermoine who works in a sanatorium in London, with World War I fresh in everyone’s minds. Ou Blare, starring Elsabé Daneel, Susanne Beyers (Erfdeel) and Joannie Combrink, is about friends reuniting with a great deal of laughter but also their share sadness and anger.

This year’s festival artists are the magnificent Handspring Puppet Company, who have captured world headlines with War Horse. This, and some of their other spectacular work, will be on a show and, like everything on this year’s stages, grab the imagination.

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Category: NewsTag: cradock, graaff reinet, hofmeyer, karoo, news
5 February 2012 by Guest

Laing Middle Releases Honor Roll

Laing Middle School of Science and Technology is pleased to recognize the following students for their academic achievements in the first semester of the school year: All-A Honor Roll: 6th Grade:  Ciara Armstrong, Owen Bailey, Kennedy Bennett, Erin Blair, Andrew Bogatkevich, Elijah Bull, Katie Casey, Harper Catalano, Allison Drennan, Will Frame, Graham Free, Peyton Funkhouser, …

Laing Middle School of Science and Technology is pleased to recognize the following students for their academic achievements in the first semester of the school year:

All-A Honor Roll:

6th Grade:  Ciara Armstrong, Owen Bailey, Kennedy Bennett, Erin Blair, Andrew Bogatkevich, Elijah Bull, Katie Casey, Harper Catalano, Allison Drennan, Will Frame, Graham Free, Peyton Funkhouser, Joy Gay, Allissa Geesaman, Lydia Heath, Christian Horst, Robert Hughes, Garrett Kelly, Emma Larsen, Olivia Leggett, Bryan Lin, Calvin Livesey, Chloe Mattila, Nadja McGlone, Isabelle  McGrath, Mary Claire Newsom, Kiah Norton, Joseph Olazabel, Trinitie Ortiz, Maddison Parker, Julia Phelps, Berkeley Robinson, Hailey Ryan, Emma Scott, Matilda Seay, Riey Seay, Adam Shokes, Derek Sireci, Shaiane Tran, Alec Waring, Emily White, Stephen Winn, Lily Wooters, Amanda Younglund, Julia Zimmerman
7th Grade:  Hannah Betfort, Jarrod Bohr, Madeline Davidson, Thomas Dorfner, Shayna Faust, Taylor Horst, Reagin Hunter, Cory Johnson, Mackenzie Katz, Martyn Lemon, Francesca Mathewes, Oliver Michaud, Mark Militzer, Matthew Pitts, Keon Rezaeerod, Hailey Ross, Joshua Simer, Elliott Suggs, Andrew Waddell, Samantha Winn.

8th Grade:  Gillian Armstrong, Emma Cohen, Tyra Greene, Kate Harper, Alexandra Hickey, Emily McGee, Andrew McGreevy, Shani Mueller, Jordan Novak, Dylan Robinson, Vasantha Sambamurti, Monika Schindwolf, Savannah Seeber, Hailey Sobota.

A-B Honor Roll:

6th Grade:  Adelaide Bates, Marguerite Beauston, Cassidy Blair, Christopher Bonney, Davy Bouchelle, Haden Bowden, Ethan Bradley, Lora Bridgman, Josh Campbell, Ethan Carter, Jahmar Coakley, James Corgill, Justin Counasse, Rory Cradock, Anthony Cummings, Kate Dantzscher, Alexandra Davey, Ashton Donnelly, Dillan Drymon, Naomi Duvall, Jacob Fisher, Camryn Gamble, James Gillam, Dylan Goulah, Harris Grant, Coltan Green, Jonathan Green, Jacob Hamrick, Owen Hickey, Remington Hough, Madeline Jamme, Kaijhana Johnson, Keionna Johnson, Lauren Joyner, Pratt Kemp, Benjamin Kicklighter, Steven LaBrecque, Daniel Lovasz, Tyler Ann Lowder, Adela Luebchow, Lamar Mackey, Bria Maiden, Amari Manigault, Makayla Mathewes, Sanaye Mazyck, Conner McCarthy, Emma McKenna, Fern McLaughlin, Liam Murphy, Lee Murphy, Eli Mustafa, Evan Nelson, Thomas Nick, Charlie Porter, Brett Price, Kassie Puzzello, Ryan Quick, Armani Reese, Hayes Renedo, Kyra Rettew, SyMira Richardson, Camden Roller, Isabel Root, Allison Ruopoli, Tiara Salaam, Zanaya Salaam, Joey Salata, Sean Santos, Michael Schaaf, Albert Schmidt, Bailey Skelton, Tyler  Smith, Patrick Spychalski, Emma Stark, Mason Stonestreet, Patrick Sughrue, Saige Sutterlin, Jack Tessier, MacKenzie Tisdale, Richard Tran, Abby Troy, Conner Tully, Jackson Walls, Imani Weston, James Williams, Zoe Wirszyla, A’Naya Wright.

7th Grade:  Joe Baker, Morrison Baldwin, Monique Bligen, Ryan Bohr, Andre Boucher, Bryan Brosnan, Collin Buckhannon, Russell Cochrane, Specer Cowart, Monica Fox, Camille Gallagher, Ryan Gawryluk, Jeremia Grant, Peyton Hall, Cayla Harding, Alexandra Herron, Hunter Higgins, Isabella Hollowell, Jalen Johnson, Madeline Kemp, Caroline Limbaker, Daniel MacArthur, Jalen Mauldin, Nicholette Mazyck, Paul Millar, Brooke Mitchell, Annastasia Perryman, Zella Roberts, Anna Rose Rossi, Hannah Rothkopf, Erica Scott, Zachary Shaarda, Cierra Smalls, Jacqueline Smith, Mackenzie Sprott, Walter Staley, Gabrielle Stewart, Regan Thorpe.

8th Grade:  Macarena Baez, Dawson Bailey, Chris Baltimore, Catherine Beaty, Kelsey Bianco, Danielle Brown, Dion Campbell, Deonna Clark, Gray Coker, Emma Crowfoot, Kelley Duris, Carrie Evans, Dylan Freeman, Robert Gardner, Bianca Garsys, Wil Gates, Kayla Glover, Jessie Gordon, Skyla Gregg, Rebecca Groves, Hannah Hartney, Derek Hastings, Chris Hicks, Mary Hirsch, Gavin Howley, Caroline Ingram, Briggs Kemp, Kyle Kentros, Victoria Leighton, Monica Lopez, Mira Lovett, Carly McDavid, Brandon McGee, Kyle McGue, Sebastian Parker, Jodi Plotkin, Sharonda Polite, Laura Rodriguez-Mixon, Jessica Rodriguez-West, Emily Rogers, Steven Runck, Jeffrey Ryan, Caroline Safford, Lauren Santiago, Nicholas Schwartz, Taylor Scott, Shana Slavin, Elizabeth Tetor, Jojo Thompkins, Autumn Tokai, Sarah Tully, Hailey Twombly, Michael Ullrich, Victoria Watson, Clara Wooters, Ann Wright, Marli Wright.

Category: NewsTag: cradock, news, online
5 February 2012 by Guest

South Africa : Van Staden 3 years in Biarritz

Tweet <!– Placez cette balise dans la section ou juste avant la balise de fermeture –> Click here to Book Accommodation in Cradock, Graaf Reinett, Hofmeyer or surrounds. Article source: http://www.starafrica.com/en/more-sports/detail-news/view/south-africa-van-staden-3-years-in-bia-216613.html

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Category: NewsTag: cradock, news, online
5 February 2012 by Guest

Motorist who escaped a fiery death expected Nissan to investigate

Megan Power Motorist who escaped a fiery death expected Nissan to investigate When it comes to cars, many of us fit the stereotype. We’re largely interested in how the car looks on the outside and how comfortable it is on the inside. But we care little for what’s under the hood. Until things go wrong. …

author image

Megan Power

Motorist who escaped a fiery death expected Nissan to
investigate

When it comes to cars, many of us fit the stereotype. We’re largely
interested in how the car looks on the outside and how comfortable it is on the
inside.

But we care little for what’s under the hood. Until things go wrong. Then
consumers become very interested in detail.

Reader Wessel Oosthuizen, who admits to knowing nothing about cars,
certainly did.

It’s little wonder. The retired sports photographer narrowly escaped death
in December when his 2008 1.6 Nissan Qashqai lost power and caught alight while
driving in the Karoo. Within minutes the car was ablaze and less than 15
minutes later it was completely gutted.

Why did the car go up in smoke? Nobody knows. And nobody, besides the owner,
seems to care much either.

Despite Oosthuizen’s efforts, he has no idea why his car, which had recently
had its three-year/100000km warranty service at Nissan, is now a hunk of
charred metal.

His insurer, which didn’t hesitate to cover his loss, blamed an electrical
short circuit but could not determine what triggered it. Because the car was so
badly burnt and no foul play was suspected, it didn’t probe further.

To Oosthuizen’s dismay, neither did Nissan.

“I didn’t ask Nissan for money; I just thought it should look into
it,” the 68-year-old Parys resident said. “But it wasn’t interested.
I called customer care but got no response.

“I then went to Nissan in person and was eventually told it would not
get involved but I could appoint an independent assessor. It said insurance
wouldn’t have paid out if there had been a product fault,” he said.

Oosthuizen asked for this response in writing but didn’t hear from Nissan
again.

When I approached Nissan, senior manager for customer care Jacques Labotsky
said the company’s position had been incorrectly relayed to Oosthuizen. I
didn’t find his clarified version much better.

Labotsky said Nissan would “gladly” conduct an investigation and
appoint an independent fire investigator at a cost of R50000 but – and here’s
the rub – if no product liability was found, Oosthuizen would have to foot the
bill.

So the customer, whose car burst into flames for no reason, should shoulder
the financial burden if no defect is found. Why? “Because the car was
fitted with a tracking device,” said Labotsky. “If the car was standard,
we’d pay.”

According to Labotsky, cars fitted with after-market devices and accessories
such as trackers, alarm systems, radios and tow bars have contributed to fires.

That’s news to me. And to Netstar and Tracker, which with 2.5 million
installations between them, know of no such incidents. Even Oosthuizen’s
insurer Santam has no knowledge of this.

And what about the Nissan service just six weeks earlier? Could there be a
connection? No, said Labotsky, and there was no history of “thermal
incidents” either.

Where an insurance probe determined possible product liability, he said, the
case was referred to the manufacturer for further investigation.

“Unfortunately the insurer opted not to conduct such an investigation
and settled the relevant claim with the client directly … “

Head of Santam corporate affairs Donald Kau said an independent
investigation would not have resulted in a different outcome, based on how
badly the vehicle was burnt.

“As we did not investigate the possibility of a defect being the cause
of the fire, we cannot comment on the liability of the agents towards their
customers,” Kau said.

Would Sanlam cover the costs of a further probe at Oosthuizen’s request?
Unfortunately not, Kau said.

“In this instance, the option is open for the client but it would be
for his own cost. We have paid out in line with the client’s policy after our
own investigation. The car is available for such a probe should the client or
manufacturer wish to assess it further.”

Oosthuizen, who “meticulously” serviced his car with Nissan, is
not amused. “I’m lucky my doors were unlocked because the car’s power died
when the fire started and the smash-and-grab protection on my windows would
have prevented me breaking the glass,” he said.

Indeed, it could have been far worse. Nobody can forget the 2009 death of
satirist Justin Nurse’s two-year-old daughter who died when the family’s Honda
Jazz caught fire in the driveway of their Noordhoek home.

The cause was indeterminable but an investigation showed that water intrusion
into the power window switch housing could cause a short circuit. As a
precautionary measure, Honda recalled all 2002-2008 year model Jazz units in SA
to inspect and modify the switches.

It’s the kind of response consumers expect when things go so terribly wrong.

Although upset at Nissan’s failure to inspect his car, Oosthuizen remains
surprisingly loyal to the brand; he’s already replaced his Qashqai with a
second.

In the interest of consumer safety, I believe Nissan had a duty to rule out
a defect in Oosthuizen’s car, at its own expense. It chose not to.

And Oosthuizen understandably isn’t able to take a R50000 gamble.

So we’re all none the wiser. Heaven help Nissan if another car burns.

Sunday Smile

At Pick n Pay, Carnival Mall, for delivering a R49.99 replacement bottle of
Preen prewash to shopper Sheila Paterson’s door after a faulty cap led to
spillage in her shopping bag. Considering her home is 35km from the store, it
was a most welcome gesture.

Sunday Snarl

At Patrick Holford’s Mood Food which,
according to the Advertising Standards Authority, made an unsubstantiated claim
to the effect that it was able to “support mood and mental vitality”.
Isn’t it time for the marketing and promotion of complementary medicines to be
more strictly regulated?

Category: NewsTag: cradock, graaff reinet, hofmeyer, karoo, news
5 February 2012 by Guest

The Regional weather forecast for February 06 2012

Weather WARNINGS: 1. A heat wave with persistently high temperatures is still persisting in the West Coast District, Cape Winelands,and Little Karoo it will persist till Tuesday over the Breede River Valley and Little Karoo. 2. Extremely uncomfortable humid conditions are expected in the West coast district,Cape Winelands, Cape Metropole,in places over the Eden district …

Weather

WARNINGS: 1. A heat wave with persistently high temperatures is still persisting in the West Coast District, Cape Winelands,and Little Karoo it will persist till Tuesday over the Breede River Valley and Little Karoo.
2. Extremely uncomfortable humid conditions are expected in the West coast district,Cape Winelands, Cape Metropole,in places over the Eden district and the eastern parts of Kwazulu Natal
3. A high veldfire danger rating is expected in places in the West coast district, Cape Winelands, Cape Metropole and the Namakwa district.
4. Extremely hot conditions are expected in places in the West coast district, Cape Winelands, Little Karoo and Breede River Valley.


05 February 2012
| Sapa








WATCHES:

1. A high veldfire danger rating expected in the West Coast district on Tuesday.

2.A high veldfire danger expected over the West Coast district and the Cape Winelands

GAUTENG

Partly cloudy and warm with scattered showers and thundershowers.

Expected UVB Index: Very Dangerous.

MPUMALANGA

Cloudy in places at first with morning drizzle and fog patches on the high ground,otherwise partly cloudy and warm but cool in places on the escarpment, otherwise partly cloudy and warm but cool in places in the eastern highveld and escarpment.Scattered showers and thundershowers are expected but isolated in the Lowveld.

LIMPOPO

Cloudy in places at first with morning drizzle and fog patches on the escarpment, otherwise partly cloudy and warm with isolated showers and thundershowers but scattered in the south west.

NORTHWEST

Partly cloudy and warm to hot with isolated showers and thundershowers but scattered in the east.

FREE STATE

Partly cloudy and warm to hot with isolated thundershowers over the central parts but scattered in the northeast.

NORTHERN CAPE

Fine and hot to very hot but partly cloudy in the east with isolated thundershowers In the north and north east.Morning andN evening fog patches expected along the coast where it will be cool. The wind along the coast will be light northwesterly.

WESTERN CAPE

Fine and hot to very hot, but extremely hot in places over the West Coast District and Cape Winelands.Evening fog expected along the west coast. The wind along the coast will be light to moderate north westerly. Expected UVB Index: Very Dangerous.

EASTERN CAPE

Sunny and warm north of the escarpment, otherwise partly cloudy with isolated showers and thundershowers in the extreme north east. The wind along the coast will be moderate to fresh easterly becoming north-easterly towards evening.

KWAZULU-NATAL

Morning fog patches over the interior, otherwise partly cloudy and warm with isolated afternoon and evening showers and thundershowers in the west. The wind along the coast will be moderate to fresh southerly to south easterly.

Expected UVB index: High.

NAMIBIA

Partly cloudy and hot to very hot but warm along the coast with isolated showers and thundershowers but scattered in the east. The wind along the coast will moderate south-westerly.

BOTSWANA

Partly cloudy and warm to hot with isolated showers and thundershowers.

LESOTHO

Partly cloudy at times and warm with isolated showers and thundershowers.

SWAZILAND

Cloudy and warm with isolated showers and thundershowers.

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Category: NewsTag: cradock, graaff reinet, hofmeyer, karoo, news
3 February 2012 by Guest

Ex-hoops standout back at Princess Anne – The Virginian

  The scoring title was on the line, and Ricky Michaelsen needed a strong finish. Booker T. Washington’s Roy Ebron had poured in 82 points – yes, 82 – in his season finale. Michaelsen, then a Princess Anne senior, entered the final week of the 1969-70 regular season more than 100 points behind. Michaelsen scored …

 

The scoring title was on the line, and Ricky Michaelsen needed a strong finish.

Booker T. Washington’s Roy Ebron had poured in 82 points – yes, 82 – in his season finale. Michaelsen, then a Princess Anne senior, entered the final week of the 1969-70 regular season more than 100 points behind.

Michaelsen scored 40 points against Cradock, then with Ebron watching from the bleachers, scorched Wilson for 69.

“We played a 1-3-1 defense and trapped them,” Michaelsen remembered this week. “We used the fast break all night, and I got the scoring title.”

Michaelsen, 59, is looking forward to reminiscing about that season when he returns to Princess Anne today for a reunion of the school’s 1969-70 basketball team. Michaelsen, who hasn’t been back in more than 25 years, his teammates and coach Leo Anthony will be honored during Princess Anne’s game tonight against First Colonial.

“It’s going to be great,” said Michaelsen, who also played at Old Dominion. “I’m really looking forward to it.”

Virginia has produced great high school basketball players who went on to stardom in the NBA, including Allen Iverson, Moses Malone and Alonzo Mourning.

But Michaelsen averaged more points than any of them during that remarkable 1969-70 season – and more points than any player ever in South Hampton Roads.

“I would say he was one of the best players to ever come out of this area,” Anthony said. “He was just unbelievable.”

The 6-foot-4 Michaelsen averaged 39.6 points in 1969-70, then a Virginia High School League record. It still ranks third on the all-time list and is the best by a player from South Hampton Roads.

“And we didn’t have the 3-point line then,” Michaelsen said from his home in Palm Bay, Fla. “If we did I could have averaged at least 10 points more.”

The most recent local player to come close to Michaelsen’s scoring average was Cradock’s Petey Sessoms in 1990-91 when he averaged 32.5 points.

This season’s leader averages less than 21 points per game.

During that 1969-70 season, Michaelsen scored 50 or more points four times, including 69 against Wilson and 65 against Deep Creek. Those totals rank seventh and eighth, respectively, on the VHSL all-time list.

He finished that season with 771 points, which was then third all-time for VHSL players and currently is 24th. And his career scoring average of 28.8 over the 1968-69 and 1969-70 seasons is second in VHSL history.

Michaelsen and Ebron were named to The Virginian-Pilot’s first All-Tidewater team in 1970. The newspaper gushed that Michaelsen, “jumps well and can score from 25-30 feet all night or drive underneath to make twisting lay-ups.”

Current Maury coach Jack Baker agreed with that assessment. He played for Maury against Michaelsen and the two were teammates at ODU.

“He was a good player because he was tough to guard and he could shoot the ball,” Baker said. “But he also was big enough to go inside and score. You really had to work hard to try and control him.”

Anthony said Michaelsen also benefitted from being able to get to the foul line.

“Over the summer he worked on his ballhandling and getting to the basket,” Anthony said. “That’s how he went from averaging 18 points as a junior to 39 as a senior. It was amazing how much he could score.”

Michaelsen’s favorite memory, though, isn’t of his individual scoring.

“No, my most memorable game was when we beat Deep Creek 136-40,” he said, adding that the Hornets were scoreless in the first quarter. “Leo was trying to make a statement about who was the best team in the state.”

After high school, Michaelsen played three seasons at ODU, where he ranks sixth in career field-goal percentage (.553) and 14th in career three-throw percentage (.787).

Michaelsen later moved to Florida, where he’s in the real estate and construction business. He’s divorced and has two sons, Hunter, 14, and Joseph, 5.

Neither of his sons play basketball, but Michaelsen coaches an elite travel team. His players always want to know if he was any good.

“They always ask me, ‘How many points did you score?’” Michaelsen said. “I tell them, ‘A lot.’ Then one will say, ‘Well, I average 14 points.’ And I’ll tell them, ‘I used to get that in the first quarter.’”

Larry Rubama, 757-446-2273, larry.rubama@pilotonline.com

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Category: NewsTag: cradock, news, online
3 February 2012 by Guest

Amateur Lipsky opens eventing season at Full Gallop

Matus is a veteran campaigner, who was going intermediate at the time Lipsky purchased the gelding. However, the eventer started at novice level with Matus. “It’s taken a while to get to know each other,” said Lipsky. The Vermont-based rider’s trainer is Surefire Eventing’s Jan Byyny. “All of the work has really paid off,” said …

Matus is a veteran campaigner, who was going intermediate at the time Lipsky purchased the gelding. However, the eventer started at novice level with Matus.

“It’s taken a while to get to know each other,” said Lipsky.

The Vermont-based rider’s trainer is Surefire Eventing’s Jan Byyny.

“All of the work has really paid off,” said Lipsky. “I was very pleased with his dressage test. He’s quite a fancy little mover. He’s a really fun horse. I couldn’t be more happy (with his cross country) It was a great outing today.”

Lipsky will take her other horse Karoo, a Thoroughbred cross, and go training level at Sporting Days Farm on Saturday. Lipsky and Karoo placed first at training level at the Full Gallop Farm Horse Trials on March 12, 2010. Karoo’s barn name is Peter, and he’s affectionately known as Peter Rabbit.

“He’s coming back from injuries, so this will be his first outing (of the winter) as well,” said Lipsky. “He’ll (Karoo) be going training as well. Hopefully, we’ll be able to bring both horses up (the levels) this season. I’ve had that horse (Karoo) for four years, and he was hurt all of last year. It took a long time getting him back. He’s a great horse.”

Category: NewsTag: cradock, graaff reinet, hofmeyer, karoo, news
3 February 2012 by Guest

Fracking response to be filed

2012-01-31 18:13 Cape Town – Mineral Resources Minister Susan Shabangu and her director general Thibedi Ramontja will file an answering affidavit  in response to a court application to get details on a fracking report. “We are serving to the other party’s attorneys, not the media,” department spokesperson Zingaphi Jakuja said. “As far as I know, …

2012-01-31 18:13




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Cape Town – Mineral Resources Minister Susan Shabangu and her director general Thibedi Ramontja will file an answering affidavit  in response to a court application to get details on a fracking report.

“We are serving to the other party’s attorneys, not the media,” department spokesperson Zingaphi Jakuja said.

“As far as I know, media are not applicants in the matter so we are under no obligation to furnish our affidavit to media.”

In January, the High Court in Pretoria ordered Shabangu and Ramontja to respond by January 31 to an application by the Treasure Karoo Action Group (TKAG).

The TKAG wants details on an inter-departmental task team studying the impact and viability of fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, in the Karoo to extract natural gas.

TKAG chair Jonathan Deal said: “There is a whole lot of secrecy… we want to know who is involved, what are their qualifications, what is their brief, what scientific evidence are they using.”

It was especially important to look at what evidence the team was looking at as fracking “had creeped (sic) into South Africa on the back of industry-based reports”.

Fracking involves injecting, under high pressure, a mixture of chemicals and water into the earth, to free natural gas.

The exploration programme, proposed by oil company Shell, has been criticised by environmental groups who claim it will harm the sensitive Karoo environment and poison underground water.

Category: NewsTag: cradock, graaff reinet, hofmeyer, karoo, news
1 February 2012 by Guest

A soupcon of healing comfort

Once upon a time, most general cookery books included chapters on “invalid cookery”, conjuring images of valetudinarians, coaxed into spooning up bowlfuls of thin gruels, arrowroot jelly and sago milk pudding. I thought of this recently when my family were beset with endless rounds of colds and bugs. Modern cookery books aren’t much help – …

Once upon a time, most general cookery books included chapters on “invalid cookery”, conjuring images of valetudinarians, coaxed into spooning up bowlfuls of thin gruels, arrowroot jelly and sago milk pudding. I thought of this recently when my family were beset with endless rounds of colds and bugs. Modern cookery books aren’t much help – recipes are either too rich and indulgent or focus on specific diseases, with little on general illness. So I find myself supplementing advice from mother and aunt with that from the older books.

Colds aren’t so hard – adults are happy with toddies, soup and anything spicy, my mother-in-law keeps me supplied with Johar Joshanda which is better than any Lemsip, and the kids love fruity, honey sweetened jellies and sorbets. It’s harder to find nutritous food for stomachs upset by medication or gastroenteritis. The general advice is solid common sense. Don’t ask your patient what they want – choose easily digested food you know they like. Avoid unexpected textures – gristle, bone, lumps. Small, varied portions are best, think tempting morsels. My mother was brilliant at this and an expert at arranging a tray – I try to do the same for my family now.

The recipes in the books I looked at had changed little from the 1700s to the 1950s. There are strange omissions – potatoes (good for bland starchiness) don’t get a look in, which I find odd, as they are the first thing I want to eat when ill (crisps, chips or mash). Honey is almost always overlooked in favour of sugar. Herbs, spices and vegetables are under-used. One of the few references to curry comes from the pseudonymous Mistress Dods and contains a healthy amount of garlic, chilli, ginger and turmeric. Few specific illnesses are addressed, although Hannah Glasse bizarrely offers a sage liquor for treating thrush in children.

Many dishes don’t suit the modern palate; tripe, gruels, milk puddings (also not good fare for phlegmy colds) feature frequently, as do some very odd combinations – Agnes Jekyll recommends a lunch of toast, spread with chestnut puree, topped with slices of pheasant and garnished with gravy and warmed plums. At least this has flavour, but I find it is unpalatable as Mrs Beeton’s toast sandwich – I prefer instead Marguerite Patten’s marmite or bone marrow on toast. Incidentally, Marguerite Patten is a great believer in Vitamin B rich marmite – she also adds it to milk and soup as it helps “combat the fatigue of illness” and gives flavour to otherwise bland food. I would add that anything umami can help increase a listless appetite.

All the books acknowledge that fluids are key with any illness, so I tried a few variations. Barleywater was the surprise hit – it’s cheap and simple to make and soothing on the stomach, especially if you don’t add lemon. Whey turned out to be a good alternative when milk was too rich. Soups, jellies, custards are perfect for slipping down easily, though chicken soup – seen as a universal panacea – is trumped by the cookery writers back then by beef tea. I prefer chicken but beef tea (really beef broth) is excellent if you are self-medicating – turn it into bullshot with a good glug of vodka.

My other main success was savoury jellies. When I mention them the majority reaction is disgust. I have no idea why – they are restorative, sustaining and championed by some of my favourite chefs (Fergus Henderson’s trotter gear, Simon Hopkinson’s chicken in aspic) and a cooling alternative to soup. The children in my family had no preconceptions and loved them, especially a beef one I coloured with beetroot. My absolute favourite takes Jewish penicillin to its xenith – Fanny Cradock tells us to smash up some chicken, put it in a jar, cover with cheap brandy and simmer (a slow cooker will do it) for 24 hours before straining. As she says – it’s miraculous.

Have you ever discovered an archaic recipe which you turn to in times of illness? Have you any recipes handed down to you that you swear by?

Category: NewsTag: cradock, news, online
1 February 2012 by Guest

IntotheBlue offers a host of scintillating cookery courses in the UK

With growing impetus on us to eat healthily, to eat fresher, more locally sourced and sustainable produce, nationwide interest in cookery and food products as a whole has risen. The past few years has seen the ceremonious rise of the celebrity chef. Gone of the days of Fanny Cradock and Delia Smith, the latest generation …

With growing impetus on us to eat healthily, to eat fresher, more locally sourced and sustainable produce, nationwide interest in cookery and food products as a whole has risen. The past few years has seen the ceremonious rise of the celebrity chef. Gone of the days of Fanny Cradock and Delia Smith, the latest generation of cookery programmes are lively, upbeat and inspiring. Stereotypically the domain of women, the kitchen now plays host to a greater number of men than ever before. Cooking has become a universal act, enjoyed across the genders. As we become more daring in our culinary ventures and as food ingredients arrive in ever more exotic forms, the need to properly harness them and churn out tasty dishes has risen. IntotheBlue is the online home of the cookery activities and experiences, providing customers with the skills and vision needed to embark on their own cooking successes.

There is no doubt that the prospect of producing something new, something radiating sensual taste and aroma is exciting. Food ingredients are so incredibly varied there needs never be the same dish produced twice. IntotheBlue taps in to the cultural cooking techniques of dishes from around the globe – Thai, Spanish, Middle Eastern, Indian, Japanese and much more and offers a variety of activities based on these delights. It is the choice of the customer to decide which they are most inspired by. Though on the other hand, for those wanting to explore something new, IntotheBlue can offer something exciting. This is the point, customers can either hone existing skills or develop entirely new ones, the choice is theirs.

The choice of cookery courses in the UK are endless – amongst the most popular and interesting is perhaps the master chef cook and 2 for 1 dining. This option is especially interesting, notably so as it is chaired by Anne Hood – ex BBC Masterchef contestant. Two and a half days of cooking and dining, tailored around one of three possible courses – ‘Easy Eating’, ‘Seafood Extravaganza’ and ‘Beginner Gourmet Dining’. All of the programmes IntotheBlue have available from Cupcakes and Cocktails to afternoon teas are thoroughly detailed. Including everything from when the course is available to where it is hosted, even including possible numbers of guests. In addition to the cookery side, real foodies can enjoy a chocolate making course, and those partial to the odd glass of wine, vineyard tours.

So, if in search of a cookery master class of the highest level of professionalism be sure to visit www.intotheblue.co.uk/culinary-gourmet/cooking/cookery-courses.

Category: NewsTag: cradock, news, online
1 February 2012 by Guest

Shot Putt goes the distance

Tough gelding, Shot Putt has been awarded the Central District’s Racing Association (CDRA) ‘Horse Of The Year’ title for the 2011 – 2012 season. A 12 person panel drawn from throughout the region met at Dubbo last week to judge the award. From an original field of seven, Shot Putt, Izababe and Platinum Skye were …

Tough gelding, Shot Putt has been awarded the Central District’s Racing Association (CDRA) ‘Horse Of The Year’ title for the 2011 – 2012 season.

A 12 person panel drawn from throughout the region met at Dubbo last week to judge the award.

From an original field of seven, Shot Putt, Izababe and Platinum Skye were selected as the finalists.

Subsequently, Shot Putt took the title with nine votes while Izababe received three votes.

Trained at Cowra by Kevin White, Shot Putt is raced by Kevin White, Jenny White, Todd White, Barry Wall, Steve Mason, Belinda Green and Paul Cradock, all from Cowra and was bred by Dr Cradock.

During the season, Shot Putt had an incredible 27 starts, reading eight wins and six placings.

Shot Putt won TAB races at Wagga Wagga, Parkes, Wellington (twice) and Hawkesbury while winning non-TAB races at Gilgandra (Harry McKechnie Cup), Grenfell and the Condobolin Picninc Cup.

Shot Putt and Hawkesbury trained, Drop Of Magic with eight wins each won the most races in NSW for the season while Shot Putt with five wins won the most races in the CDRA region.

Trained at Dubbo by Peter Nestor, Izababe only had five starts for the season but proved to be a quality galloper.

Izababe won the Dubbo Cup, Coonabarabran Cup and the Bengalla Cup at Musswellbrook.

Brilliant sprinter, Platinum Skye trained at Parkes by Sharon Jeffries had six starts for the season.

Platinum Skye won the Harvey Norman Cup Day Sprint at Coonamble, a 1000 metre sprint on the Randwick inside track and the Thunderbolt at Queanbeyan.

Platinum Skye also finished second in the Flat Knacker at Albury and third in the Scone Quality.

The other CDRA trained horses considered for the award were Jali (trainer Mark Wilton, Gulgong), True Jeune (Peter W. Stanley, Orange), Nuisance (Fred Heanes, Bathurst) and Snowy On The Tram (Terry Fahey, Dubbo).

Presentation of the award will take place at an upcoming meeting (date to be announced).

Category: NewsTag: cradock, news, online
1 February 2012 by Guest

ANC centenary torch arrives in Beaufort West

Major celebrations took place on the 8th of January.(SABC) The African National Congress (ANC) centenary torch has arrived at Beaufort West in the Karoo where it will be handed over by the party’s Secretary-General, Gwede Mantashe, to the provincial leadership. ANC deputy president Kgalema Motlanthe kick-started the celebrations with a rally at Oudtshoorn in the …

Major celebrations took place on the 8th of January.(SABC)

The African National Congress (ANC) centenary torch has arrived at Beaufort West in the Karoo where it will be handed over by the party’s Secretary-General, Gwede Mantashe, to the provincial leadership. ANC deputy president Kgalema Motlanthe kick-started the celebrations with a rally at Oudtshoorn in the Karoo.

The torch arrived just after midnight in a motorcade from Mangaung in the Free State where major celebrations took place on the 8th of January. Mantashe is also expected to address party veterans during a breakfast meeting before visiting the homes of struggle veterans in the area.

 

A host of activities have been planned for the next two days.

The main rally in the region to celebrate the party’s 100th birthday takes place this afternoon at the Rustdene Stadium. A host of activities have been planned for the next two days.

Mantashe will visit the homes of struggle veterans in the area. The event will be attended by provincial leadership, church leaders, as well as members of civil society

Category: NewsTag: cradock, graaff reinet, hofmeyer, karoo, news
1 February 2012 by Guest

ANC centenary flame arrives in Western Cape

WITH the month of February approaching the hundredth anniversary celebrations of the ANC’s commemoration year move to the Western Cape Province, after a successful kickoff in Mangaung where the ANC was founded in the Wesleyan Church of Waaihoek. The official African National Congress Centenary Celebrations in the Western Cape starts this week, when the National …

WITH the month of February approaching the hundredth anniversary celebrations of the ANC’s commemoration year move to the Western Cape Province, after a successful kickoff in Mangaung where the ANC was founded in the Wesleyan Church of Waaihoek.

The official African National Congress Centenary Celebrations in the Western Cape starts this week, when the National Centenary Torch will be handed over to the people of the Western Cape on Wednesday February 1, in Beaufort West.

The ANC National leadership and the National Centenary Task Team, together with the Free State leadership of the ANC will hand over the Centenary Flame to the ANC Western Cape leadership.

The ANC invites the people of the Western Cape and the media to come and join us in our celebrations of 100 years, an achievement that no other political movement on the continent has managed to achieve.

The ANC views its Centenary not only as a celebration for ANC members, but as a celebration for all South Africans and it has also been embraced by freedom loving people all over the world.

Once the Centenary Flame has been handed over to the Western Cape, it will travel to all the corners of the province, from the smallest little hamlets and farms, towns to the big cities.

We try our best to make it possible for each and every citizen of the Western Cape to witness our Centenary Flame of struggle and hope.

Once the torch has been handed over to the ANC Western Cape Province, represented by Marius Fransman (provincial chairperson) it will then be handed over to Mr. Ronnie Klink, ANC Central Karoo Region chairperson.

The Centenary Flame will then change hands from one region to the other, who will each have a turn to present it to a wide range of people and communities in their regions.

The Central Karoo Region will hand the flame over to the South Cape / Klein Karoo Region, who in turn will hand it over to the Parliament for the opening of Parliament’s State of the Nation address.

From parliament, the flam will be passed on to the Boland Region, who in turn will pass it on to the Overberg Region.

The Overberg Region will pass it on to the West Coast Region, who will then pass it on to the Dullah Omar Region, from who will be the last region to host the Flame.

The Western Cape Province will also celebrate the life of the second president of the ANC, president Sefako Mapogo Makgatho.

President Makgatho was the president of the ANC from 1917 – 1924, and placed a big emphasis on education, land and religion in his life, as ANC president and in his personal capacity.

On 23 February as part of our centenary celebrations, the ANC will host a Sefako Mapogo Makgatho Memorial Lecture at the Good Hope Centre in Cape Town, to honour the of president Makgatho. President Jacob Zuma will deliver the keynote address and some of the family of president Makgatho will also be in attendance.

President Jacob Zuma will also visit the Rocklands Civic Centre in Mitchells Plain to honour the place where the UDF was launched.

The UDF played an important role in the liberation struggle of South Africa, and the visit by president Zuma is to show our appreciation to that organisation and its millions of members all over South Africa who contributed to bringing about the present democratic dispensation.

On 11 February, former president Nelson Mandela celebrates 22 years of freedom, and this celebration will be commemorated as part of our Centenary Celebrations.

The ANC will be sending a strong delegation to the Drakenstein Prison (formerly Victor Verster) to celebrate this important occasion.

On 24 to 26 February the Commission for Religious and Traditional Affairs will be hosting a summit on Race, Culture and Identity to get a debate going on important issues in South Africa.

Before the handover of the Centenary Flame to Mpumalanga Province, the ANC Western Cape will do its duty and take the flame to Robben Island, a place of incarceration of so many of the freedom fighters of South Africa.

A Candle Light Vigil will be held on Robben Island on 28 February, which will end with a cultural evening and dance for all who will be in attendance.

The next day, 29 February the Centenary Flame will be escorted out of the province to Mpumalanga, where the ANC Western Cape Chairperson, Marius Fransman will hand back the flame to Mr Gwede Mantashe, the secretary general of the national ANC.

Fransman says South Africa is privileged to witness the first centenary of this glorious movement, and therefore, the ANC is doing everything in its power to make it a memorable occasion for all South Africans.

Statement issued by Songezo Mjongile, ANC Western Cape Provincial Secretary, January 31 2012

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Category: NewsTag: cradock, graaff reinet, hofmeyer, karoo, news
1 February 2012 by Guest

Karoo Kunstefees selects De Krans wines for festival

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Category: NewsTag: cradock, graaff reinet, hofmeyer, karoo, news
1 February 2012 by Guest

A Karoo community’s views on fracking

There are several reasons why the papers filed by Mineral Resources Minister Susan Shabangu in the North Gauteng High Court on Tuesday make interesting reading, and a statement by a group calling itself the Graaff-Reinet Shale Gas Community Forum is one of them. The anti-fracking lobby is active, but until now I had heard nothing …

There are several reasons why the papers filed by Mineral Resources Minister Susan Shabangu in the North Gauteng High Court on Tuesday make interesting reading, and a statement by a group calling itself the Graaff-Reinet Shale Gas Community Forum is one of them.

The anti-fracking lobby is active, but until now I had heard nothing of, or from, this group, which comprises the Camdeboo Council of Churches, the Graaff-Reinet Youth Forum, the African National Congress’s Graaff-Reinet branch, the “local structures” of the Congress of South African Trade Unions, the Camdeboo Minister Fraternal, the Karoo Centre for Human Rights, the Small Farmers’ Association, the Camdeboo Youth Forum and the Camdeboo Sports Forum.

I am going to quote extensively from their founding statement, which was part of one of the emails filed with the court as annexures to the Department of Mineral Resources’ papers, after the forum met Petroleum Agency of SA CEO Mthozami Xiphu in June last year.

(As an aside, I am not sure why the forum met Mr Xiphu, or the ethics thereof, if they met with him as the chairman of the task team Ms Shabangu established to investigate fracking, given that the task team has not allowed other groups to meet it. However, this view, from people who live in the Karoo, is not often heard, and as such I believe it merits attention.)

“We the community of Graaff-Reinet, coming from the sector of the predominately historically disadvantaged population faced by high unemployment and daily hardships have gathered … to make our view known on the subject of energy groups’ applications to study the feasibility of extracting natural gas from shale rock formations beneath the Karoo area …To let people of our South Africa know that the opinions expressed by the so-called representatives of the Karoo communities are certainly not a reflection of the majority of the population represented by our forum.

“Several companies, including oil major Royal Dutch Shell and petrochemicals group Sasol*, are queuing for rights to explore for shale gas in the Karoo … There has been a public outcry over Shell’s and other companies’ applications, and the opposition to hydraulic fracturing is mainly centred on the following three areas:

“a) huge amounts of water required for both the drilling and hydraulic fracturing, and at the same time it is known the Karoo is semi-arid;

“b) it is alleged that the little fresh water that is available underground will be contaminated during the drilling and fracking processes; and

“c) It is alleged that the drilling and fracking processes are also harmful to the environment.

“Our Karoo is a breathtakingly beautiful place. We love it not less than others. Its heavenly fauna and flora and terrific aesthetics have created a lifestyle that defines all of us as its inhabitants. Our love for our Karoo would dictate to us that its immaculately clean environment must be protected, and that protection does not suggest that we must be utopian and believe it is a pristine place. Any insistence that suggests any activity that has the slightest risk to the beautiful environment of the Karoo must not be allowed to imply that the ’pristineness’ of the area must be maintained. The Karoo is no longer pristine. That is not practical, it is also not desirable. Man’s activities in the Karoo and in all other places of our universe have an environmental price. The key question here is to weigh the environmental and social costs of the fracking and determine if it is worth paying the price.

“In this context the forum welcomes the decision of our government to impose a moratorium on the granting of exploration licences while a multidisciplinary investigation of the environmental implications of such exploration is carried out.

“We trust that the investigation would enable our government to soberly assess the potential environmental risks, and this should be done in a scientific manner and in accordance with the process laid down in law, and not to succumb to the emotional and one-dimensional outbursts that have been made in the media and on other platforms. We believe that the potential environmental impacts are manageable and we are confident that our belief shall be supported by the investigation.

“The importance of preserving fresh water in our area cannot be overemphasised. We were therefore extremely concerned about the alleged contamination of water that normally occurs during the drilling and fracking process, but our concerns were adequately addressed by Shell in this case, that its technology does not allow any contact with fresh water during the process.

“The forum nevertheless remains concerned about the huge amounts of water required for drilling and fracking and this is against the background of the serious scarcity of water in the Karoo. We are told that one stage of fracking would require 2,3-million litres of water, and a well can have up to 14 fracking stages, which would mean consumption of 32-million litres of water. … We would want to be given a compelling and convincing strategy by Shell on how they intend to import the water, as it is clear that the Karoo cannot afford to compete with Shell and other applicants for water. We would also like to note that there are also other opportunities, such as recycling water.

“The demand for energy continues to increase in our country and there is no doubt that natural gas has a growing role to play in building a cleaner, more affordable and more secure energy future. Natural gas could also provide South Africa with a stable, sustainable energy source, supporting economic growth and bringing needed employment and economic opportunity to the Karoo. We do not believe the jobs created would come at the expense of others, mainly in the agricultural and tourism sectors. We have no jobs right now!”

* Sasol has subsequently said it will not pursue a licence to explore the Karoo for gas extraction.

Tags: fracking, Karoo

Category: NewsTag: graaff reinet, karoo, news
30 January 2012 by Guest

Fruity tutti – recipes

INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPERS YUMMY: Fresh mangoes, plums, nectarines and peaches are just some of the delicious fruits to savour. Pic: Debbie Yazbek Related Stories Five meatless suppers – recipes Made in China. We are so used to this label attached to merchandise that it’s good to know that the summer fruit abundant right now is grown …

INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPERS

YUMMY: Fresh mangoes, plums, nectarines and peaches are just some of the delicious fruits to savour. Pic: Debbie Yazbek

Related Stories

  • Five meatless suppers – recipes

Made in China. We are so used to this label attached to merchandise that it’s good to know that the summer fruit abundant right now is grown in Boland and Little Karoo orchards or in the subtropical Mpumalanga and Limpopo provinces.

However, peaches and nectarines had their origins in China some 2 000 years ago, and found their way to the west, via Persia and the European spice trade. Plums seem to have originated in Japan and Europe while mangoes were first cultivated in India some 4 000 years ago.

While most of these fruits are destined to be eaten raw and whole or sliced into salads, this is the time to make more of them.

Many of the ideas below take little time and do not require large amounts of energy, either from the cook or from Eskom.

FRESH MANGO WITH CHILLI AND VANILLA SYRUP

Exotic, tongue-tingling, this is a great finale for a lunch or supper. Choose firm mangoes ahead of time so they will have ripened when used. If you prefer, make a lemon sorbet in place of the lime sorbet, as limes are very pricey.

The recipe can be found in Marie Claire Spicy, by Michele Cranston, published by Murdoch Books.

220g (1 full cup) white sugar

1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise

1 fresh large red chilli, seeded and finely chopped

Juice of 1 lime

3 mangoes, peeled and flesh cut into thick strips

Lime sorbet

250g white sugar

4 to 5 limes

Put the sugar, vanilla bean and chilli into a small saucepan, with 500ml water. Bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Cool, then stir in the lime juice.

For the sorbet, dissolve the sugar in 1 litre (four cups) of water, bring to the boil and cook two to three minutes, then remove from heat. Cool. Grate the zest of the limes and squeeze the juice. Add the juice to the syrup, along with the zest of one lime. Taste, and add more zest if desired. Cool, then transfer to freezer. When half-frozen, whizz mixture with a hand blender to break up crystals, and freeze until firm.

To serve, divide the mango between four chilled bowls, and top with scoops of lime sorbet. Drizzle the chilli syrup over the mango and sorbet and serve immediately.

Serves four.

RUSTIC PLUM SHEET CAKE

A pleasing recipe that calls only for a bowl and a wooden spoon, authors Callie Maritz and Mari-Louis Guy suggest we bake it to take on picnics, and serve from the pan, along with their homemade crème fraiche.

Find the recipe in their delicious compilation Cakebread, Pudding and Pie published by Struik Lifestyle.

½ cup milk

Quarter cup vegetable oil

2 eggs

1½ cups cake flour

2 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

10 large plums, halved and pitted

Quarter cup castor sugar

Crème Fraiche

1 cup thick cream

2T buttermilk

Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease a large 25x35cm rectangular baking pan. In a mixing bowl, combine milk, oil and eggs. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into this. Stir until a batter forms. Spread the batter into the pan, smoothing the top. Arrange the plums, cut side up, on top of the batter. Do not press them in. Sprinkle the castor sugar over the plums. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean and the plums are soft.

For the crème fraiche, sterilise a jam jar. Combine the cream and buttermilk in the jar, screw on the lid and shake for one minute. Set aside but do not refrigerate, for 12 to 24 hours until thick.

Serves six to eight.

BAKED PEACHES WITH VANILLA ICE CREAM AND CARAMEL SAUCE

It’s a self-explanatory title of a straightforward dessert that will be lapped up by all ages. This is one for cool nights, when the family is ready for a warm finale with its contrast of ice cream on the side.

The recipe comes from Sydney Food by Bill Granger, published by Murdoch Books. You could also use nectarines.

4 peaches, halved and stoned

2T brown sugar

Caramel sauce

¾ cup sugar

¾ cup cream

1tsp lemon juice

Vanilla icecream

Preheat oven to 220°C. Place peaches, cut side up, in a small baking dish and sprinkle with the brown sugar. Bake for 15 minutes, until they are soft and juices bubbling. Remove and cool slightly.

For the sauce: fill the sink with cold water. Place the sugar and quarter cup (60ml ) of water in a saucepan and stir over low heat until sugar has melted, brushing down sides of the pan with a pastry brush dipped in water if any crystals appear. Bring to the boil and cook, without stirring, until the caramel turns golden brown, swirling the pan to keep the colour even. Remove from heat as soon as this occurs and plunge base of saucepan into the sink of cold water to stop it cooking. Let the caramel cool slightly, then carefully pour in the cream, it will foam up. When foaming stops, add the lemon juice and stir until sauce is smooth. Sauce can be reheated.

To serve, place peaches in serving dish, top with ice-cream and pour over sauce. Serves four. – Cape Argus

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Category: NewsTag: cradock, graaff reinet, hofmeyer, karoo, news
30 January 2012 by Guest

Fracking will ‘poison’ delicate Karoo

Letters The authorities have lobbied every Tom, Dick and Harry to give their opinion about how good it will be for South Africa to allow firms like Shell to poison the delicate fauna and flora of the Karoo. 29 January 2012 | RALPH KRALL by e-mail The propaganda over the search for gas in the …

Letters

The authorities have lobbied every Tom, Dick and Harry to give their opinion about how good it will be for South Africa to allow firms like Shell to poison the delicate fauna and flora of the Karoo.


29 January 2012
| RALPH KRALL by e-mail








The propaganda over the search for gas in the Cape is not to be believed, writes  RALPH KRALL by e-mail.

The authorities have lobbied every Tom, Dick and Harry to give their opinion about how good it will be for South Africa to allow firms like Shell to poison the delicate fauna and flora of the Karoo.

 What is it that people don’t understand?

 Just Google “fracking” and that will be enough to put the fear of God into every South African.
 
You don’t have to be a scientist like Prof Maarten De Wit to understand that this will be the point of no return.
 
I always wonder how much people are being paid to even suggest that fracking for gas is good for the people of the country when it means that the earth will be  poisoned by toxins that will seep into the water table for hundreds of kilometres in all directions.
 
 Companies like Shell say say fracking for gas is  done better these days and more carefully. 

What a load of balony. Poison is poison no matter how carefully they try disguise it  or how much money they dangle in front of ignorant government officials.

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Category: NewsTag: cradock, graaff reinet, hofmeyer, karoo, news
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